Frank La Ferla, Ph.D.

Frank LaFerla, PhD serves as PPM Scientific Advisor at Signum Biosciences, Inc. Dr. LaFerla is the Chancellor's Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior; Director of the Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders at the University of California Irvine. He serves as Member of the Advisory Board at Sonexa Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. LaFerla and colleagues developed the triple transgenic (3xTg) mouse model of AD, which has become among the most important tools ... available to AD researchers. His research efforts have resulted in a number of academic distinctions and awards including the Zenith Fellow Award, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Promising Work Award and the MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research.

Funded Research

The SAMP8 mouse model line is a model of accelerated senescence, and interestingly, develops sparse amyloid plaques, which is remarkable given the less amyloidogeneic properties of murine Aß. Hence, the research hypothesis for this project is that by introducing the more amyloidogenic human APP at the endogenous locus, researchers will be able to more robustly mimic the onset of sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, and thereby utilize this model for pre-clinical development and for widespread distribution to other investigators in the field.